Garbage incinerator with associated drying hearth



July. 25, 1950 H. B. HOMMON 2,516,213

GARBAGE INCINERATOR WITH ASSOCIATED DRYING HEARTH Filed July 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

H. B. HOMMON July 25, 1950 GARBAGE INCINERATOR WITH ASSOCIATED DRYING HEARTH 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1945 INVENTOR.

WTOIF/VEKS'.

GARBAGE INCINERATOR WITH ASSOCIATED DRYING HEARTH' Filed July 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

y 1950 H. B. HOMMON 2,516,213

GARBAGE INCINERATOR WITH ASSOCIATED DRYING HEARTH Filed July 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 1N VEN TOR.

July 1950 H. B. HOMMON 2,516,213

GARBAGE INCINERATOR wnn ASSOCIATED DRYING HEARTH Filegi July 6, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

ITTORIVEKS.

Patented July 25, 1950- GARBAGE INGIN-ERATOR WITH ASSOCIATED DRYING HEAR-TH Harry B..Hommon, Oakland, Calif.

Application July 6, 1945, Serial'No. 6035536- 8 Claims.

This invention relates to incineratorsdesigned.

primarily for the reduction of" garbage, one. of

the objects of the invention being. to provide-an incinerator utilizing a drying hearth of highthermal conductivity so placed that material deposited on the upper surface is dried and partially burned by the hot products of combustion contacting directly therewith, and also by the hot products of combustion directed from above the hearth into a chamber below the hearth so that thermal units can thus be conducted through the hearth to the bottom of the massof material beingreduced.

A further object is to provide an incinerator capable of utilizing the carbonized garbage, etc.,

as fuel for the reduction of subsequent charges of material.

With the foregoing and other objects in Viewv which will appear as the. description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that. changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without. departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In. the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In. said drawings:

Figure 1 is. a vertical. longitudinal section through the incinerator.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section online. 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 6-4,. Figure 1'.

Figure 5 is a section on. line 5-5, Figure 1.

Referring. to the'figures by characters of reference; I designates the base of the incinerator onwhich are erected the front and back walls 2 and 4 and the side walls 3 and 5, all suitably" lined. with fire brick 6 and supporting a suspended arch I of any preferred construction formed of fire brick.

Erected on the base I parallel with the walls 2 and l. but spaced from them, are. a. fire wall 8. and a bridge wall 9, the latter being mounted on supporting. columns Ill. The space. between the wall 8 and the columns Ill is divided by parallel supporting walls H so as to provide a longitudi-- nal passageway or channels l2 leading down.- wardly from the spaces between the columns 10 to the top of a transverse channel or outlet flue [3 over which. the walls ll are arched as shown at Ma, this channel leading to the'base W of a stack l5 which is-positioned outside of the walls of the, incinerator but at a desired distance from the.- wall 3. It is preferred to have the. bottom of the outlet channel l3 incline downwardly to ward the base of the stack and that bothends of the channel.- can. be. provided with normally closed cleanout doors Iii-Figure 4; the inclined bottom has. been indicated at ["6 and theycleanout doors.

at H. I

The. top of, the fire wall. 8 is; provided with:- circle or arcuate fire brick [8 arranged. in longitudinal, rows, one above the other and spaced. by standard firebrick i9.

chamber 26: and. an ashtpit'. 2 I this pit. being separated from the fire chamber 20 by a. suitable grate 22' mounted, on transverse supports 23'.

Cleanout doors: Mare located. at the ends. of the ash. pit. while stoking: doors 25 are located; at-

the ends of the fire chamber 2! Supplemental,

stoking doors 26 can be located in walls. 3 and 5- above the doors 25: as shown particularly in" Figures 1. and3.

The walls H supportta hearth 21; which forms the floor of. a reduction or: combustion chamber: (3.. This hearth consists; of plates 28 of heat re.- sisting. material having a high thermal conductivity. These plates are arranged" in groups and maybe: separated by supplemental strips. of. a;- similar material placed on end within the; walls II and; extending between the. groups: of plates. such strips; beingindicated at 29;. The hearth formedofthe above mentioned plates and strips, if used; is inclined upwardly from the upper'emt of the fire wall 8 to; the base of the bridge wall 9 and extends beneath. one or more feed openings 3c in the top of the. incinerator; Doors: 3|. can

belocated in the walls whereverdesired above-- garbage or. thelikeon the hearthaor: for. shifting;

it into different positions after being deposited..-

The space between the bridge wall 9. and the wall: 4- of the incinerator provides a down flue 1-12v leading to the spaces between the columns l0. At the ends of this down flue. adjacentto the'bot-- tom thereof there canbeprovided cleanout doors 33.

To insure the availability of adequate heatto startincinerati'on and to accelerate same if desired during subsequent operation, a. fuel burner 34 of suitable size and type is preferably located? in the wall 2 above. the level of the. firewall 8 and serves to create an ignition temperature. anda forced draft over the hearth and. toward the bridge wall 9', thereby to insure a constant circul'aticn. of products of combustion at an ignition temperature from the hearth and over the. fire.

wall to the down flue 32, channels lZ channeI l3- and the stack.

A by-passing flue 35 can be extended through the upper portion of the wall 3 tov the stack l5 and has a damper 36by which the flow of. gases-to the stack through the, flue 35 can be controlled or interrupted.

It is to be understoodthat this incinerator, can

be proportioned and. designed. to meet. varying conditions. In. most locations it'will. be desirable to. utilize ramps leading. tothetop thereof so that. garbage and other waste material; is. deliv--.

The; space; between. this fire: wall: 8: and the wall 2 constitutes a fireered downwardly through the openings 30. Under other conditions the material to be reduced can be supplied to the hearth through the doors 3|.

In operation a combustion is set up on the grate 22 and by burner or burners 34 and the generated products of combustion will, as before stated, flow upwardly over the hearth to the bridge wall 9 and thence downwardly through the down flue 32 and under the hearth to the outflow channel I3 and thence to the stack. Obviously, this will cause the hearth to be heated from above and below. The garbage or other material-to be burned will be subjected to the action of the hot gases flowing thereover and also to the heat conducted thereto through the heat resisting plates forming the hearth. As the material carbonized, it can be directed into the firechamber 20 and consumed at that point so asto supplement any fuel which might be supplied to the fire chamber through the doors 25, 26 and 31 and by fuel burners 34 if in service. Ashes are removed from the pit through the doors 24.

The by-passing flue 35 is used preferably at the starting of the incineratorso as to expedite preheating but thereafter this by-passing flue is closed so that all products of combustion will followthe path heretofore outlined.

It is to be understood that the heat-resisting plates are separately removable so that re- 4 over the garbage on the hearth, thence beyond the rear end of the. hearth and downwardly into the open rear ends of the longitudinal flow channels and through said longitudinal flow channels in contact with the lower side of the hearth over an extended area thereof for imparting heat to the garbage on the hearth before entering said placements can be made readily. Furthermore they are fitted togetherinsuch a manner as to permit unavoidable expansion and contraction.

The material of which they are formed is highly conductive of thermal units so that the action of the hearth as a means for conducting heat upwardly'to the supported material is very effective.

The spacing strips between the groups of heat resisting plates if used serve to limit the downward sliding movement of each groupof plates. Other means to the same end may be used.

It is to be understood that if desired, an oil burner, gas burner, or the like could be positioned at any suitable point above or beneath the hearth so that supplemental heat would thus be obtained to expedite the incineration of the material introduced into the incinerator. Furthermore, the excess heat generated as a result of the combustion of the waste material may be utilized for various purposes such as the generationof hot water or steam through the use of suitably located surfaces or coils.

What is claimed is:

L'Hearth construction for garbage incinerators comprising a base; a transverse fire wall at the front; a plurality of longitudinal upstanding walls extending rearwardly from the fire wall defining one or more longitudinal flow channels between them open at the rear, said walls having support portions inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the fire wall; one or more openings injsaid longitudinal walls adjacent to and to the rear of the flre wall providing a transverse outlet line, said openings extending rearwardly from saidfire wall for only a minor portion of the lengths of said walls; and a hearth having a high thermal conductivity supported on said walls extending from the crest of the fire wall upwardly and rearwardly over said transverse flue outlet and thence over .the longitudinal flow channels fora distance materially in excess of the width transverse outlet flue.

2. Hearth construction for garbage incinerators comprising a base; a transerse fire wall at the front; a pair of upstanding side walls at the ends of the fire walls andone or more intermediate support walls, said walls extending rearwardly from the fire wall and defining between them a plurality of longitudinal fiow channels open at the rear, saidbase being sloped upwardly toward the rear to form an inclined floor for said channels and the upper portions of said support walls being similarly sloped upwardlyportion of the lengths of said support walls; and I a hearth of thin material having a high thermal conductivity supported on said walls extending from the crest of the fire wall upwardly and rear.- wardly over said transverse flue outlet and thence over the longitudinal flow channels for a distance materially in excess of the width of said flue outlet for the passage of garbage on the hearth downwardly and forwardly and over the fire wall, substantially the total lower face of said hearth being exposed to said longitudinal flow channels and said outlet flue, whereby hot combustion gases can flow from the fire wall upwardly and rearwardly over the garbage on the hearth, thence beyond the rear end of the hearth and downwardly into the open rear ends of the longitudinal flow channels and forwardly and downwardly through said longitudinal flow channels in contact with the lower side of the hearth over an extended area thereof for imparting heat to the garbage on the hearth before entering said transverse outlet flue.

3. An incinerator having a base; upstanding front, back and side walls and a top wall; an upstanding fire wall on said base near to and spaced from the front wall to define a transverse fire chamber between itself and the front wall, the top of the fire wall being spaced from said top wall; a hearth comprising a relatively thin wardly and rearwardly from said fire wall to define a reduction chamber between itself and the top wall and a flow channel between itself and the base for movement of garbage on the hearth downwardly and forwardly and into said fire chamber and the passage of hot combustion gases over the fire wall and upwardly and rearwardly over the garbage on the hearth; an opening in one of said walls for charging garbage onto said hearth; a down flue interconnecting the rear end 'of the reduction chamber to one end of said flow channel, whereby hot combustion gases from the rear end of the reduction chamber flow downwardly and through said flow channel in contact with the lower side of the hearth to impart heat to the garbage on the hearth; and

a stack in communication with the other end of said flow channel for the discharge of said combustion gases.

4. In combination with the incinerator according to claim 3, a fuel burner mounted in one of the walls near the front end of the incinerator for effecting combustion, said burner being located to discharge the products of combustion thereof rearwardly through the reduction zone.

5. In combination with the incinerator according to claim 3, one or more upstanding walls extending generally parallel to said side walls and rearwardly from said fire wall subdividing said flow channel into a plurality of parallel passages for effecting flow of the combustion gases therethrough in several streams to improve uniform distribution of heat over the various portions of the hearth, said walls affording intermediate support for the hearth.

6. An incinerator having a base; upstanding front, back and side walls and a top wall; an upstanding fire wall on said base near to and spaced from the front wall to define a transverse fire chamber between itself and said front wall, the top of the fire wall being spaced from said top wall; a hearth'cemprising a relatively thin Wall of high thermal conductivity spaced from said base and from said top wall having a substantially continuous upper surface impervious to the passage of liquids and inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the crest of the fire wall to define a reduction chamber between itself and the top wall and a flow channel between itself and the base for movement of garbage on the hearth downwardly and forwardly and into said fire chamber and the passage of hot combustion gases over the fire wall and upwardly and rearwardly over the garbage on the hearth; an opening in one of the walls for charging garbage onto said hearth; a down flue interconnecting the rear end of the reduction chamber to the rear end of said flow channel; a transverse outlet flue in communication with the forward end of said flow channel extending along the rear side of the fire wall passing through an opening in one of said side walls, said opening extending rearwardly from said fire wall for only a minor portion of the length of said flow channel; and a stack in communication with said outlet flue, whereby hot combustion gases from the front end of the incinerator travel rearwardly over the garbage on the hearth to reduce garbage thereon and thence through said down flue and forwardly through said flow channel in contact with the lower side of the hearth over an extended area thereof for imparting heat to the garbage on the hearth before entering said outlet flue, and thence transversely through said outlet flue and into the stack.

7. An incinerator including a base, upstanding front, back and side walls mounted thereon, an arch extending over and closing the area between the walls, an upstanding fire wall mounted on the base and extended transversely between the side walls, the fire wall being disposed intermediate and in spaced relation to the front wall and a portion of the base to define an outlet flue between said portion and the fire wall, and a fire chamber and ash pit between the front wall and fire wall, a grate supported between the ash pit and fire chamber, the top of the fire wall being spaced from the arch to provide an outlet for products of combustion issuing from the fire chamber, an upstanding bridge wall extended transversely between the side walls in spaced relation to the back wall to define a down flue between the back Wall and bridge wall, the top of the bridge wall being spaced from the arch to provide an inlet into the down flue, means supporting the bridge wall abovethe base to define an outlet for the down flue, a hearth of high thermal conductivity extending between the side walls and from the bottom of the bridge wall to the top of the fire wall, said hearth being of a relatively thin substantially continuous surface impervious to the passage of liquids and the hearth being downwardly inclined from the bridge wall to the fire wall, an opening in said arch for charging garbage onto said hearth, means supporting the hearth above the base, there being defined above the hearth a re duction chamber communicating at one end with the fire chamber outlet and at the other end with the down flue inlet, and below the hearth a passageway communicating between the down flue outlet and the outlet flue, said passageway exthe hearth from below with hot products of combustion passing through the passageway, and a stack opening at its base from the outlet flue.

8. An incinerator having a base; upstanding front, back and side walls and a top wall; an upstanding fire wall on said base near to and spaced from the front wall to define a transverse fire chamber between itself and the front wall, the top of the fire wall being spaced from said top wall; a hearth comprising a wall of material having a high thermal conductivity spaced from said base and from said top wall inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said fire wall to define a reduction chamber between itself and the top wall and a flow channel between itself and the base for movement of garbage on the hearth downwardly and forwardly and into said fire chamber and the passage of hot combustion gases over the fire wall and upwardly and rearwardly over the garbage on the hearth; an opening in one of said walls for charging garbage onto said hearth; one or more upstanding walls extending generally parallel to said side walls and rearwardly from said fire wall subdividing said flow channel into a plurality of parallel passages for effecting flow of the combustion gases therethrough in several streams to improve uniform heat distribution over various portions of the hearth, said walls affording intermediate support for the hearth; a down flue interconnecting the rear end of the reduction chamber to one end of said subdivided flow channel, whereby hot combustion gases from the rear end of the reduction chamber flow downwardly and through said flow channel in contact with the lower side of the hearth to impart heat to the garbage on the hearth; and a stack in communication with the other end of said flow channel for the discharge of said combustion gases.

HARRY B. HOMMON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,070,943 Boyd Aug. 19, 1913 1,427,045 Wood Aug. 22, 1922 1,452,031 Elrod Apr. 17, 1923 2,375,549 Goder May 8, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,005 Great Britain "M Jan. 19, 1893 

